FTAA - COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PARTICIPATION OF
CIVIL SOCIETY

BEST PRACTICES AND ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF CONSULTATIONS WITH
CIVIL SOCIETY AT THE NATIONAL/REGIONAL LEVEL

At the Seventh FTAA Ministerial meeting in Quito, Ecuador in November
2002, Ministers instructed the Committee of Government Representatives on
the Participation of Civil Society (SOC) to “strengthen and deepen their
consultations with civil society at the national level,” and “identify and
foster the use of best practices for outreach and consultation with civil
society.” (Paragraph 33, Quito Ministerial Declaration).

At the Thirteenth FTAA Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) meeting in
Puebla, Mexico in April 2003, Vice Ministers further directed the SOC to
“develop a document on best practices for disseminating information to
civil society to increase their participation in the FTAA process at the
national and/or regional levels for consideration by the TNC,”
(FTAA.TNC/22). Reiterated at the Fourteenth TNC meeting in San Salvador,
El Salvador in July 2003 (FTAA.TNC/23).

Consistent with these mandates, delegations have provided illustrative
examples of national and/or regional consultation and outreach activities
that have been undertaken and/or are planned.

The SOC has identified the common elements among these submissions. These
common elements are considered “best practices” as they reflect the
strategies and activities implemented by FTAA members irrespective of the
differences in the size of their economies and their level of development.

The following are examples of best practices. This list is descriptive and
not exhaustive.

Advisory Bodies: Establish advisory bodies or other consultative
mechanisms that consist of representatives from broad sectors of civil
society (businesses, unions, academics, NGOs, etc.). These institutional
mechanisms are permanent or ad-hoc, and they meet periodically in order to
review the progress of the FTAA negotiations, analyze/study specific
governmental policies and proposals, and provide input/advice to the
government.

Public Events: Organize public events (conferences, workshops, seminars,
forums, etc.) periodically and in various locations in order to raise
awareness, consult, discuss and debate about various FTAA issues of
interest to the general public and/or to specific sectors, which are open
to civil society and to citizens.

Meetings: Hold meetings with interested stakeholders (individuals or
groups) for information exchange and/or consultation purposes: i.e. to
identify and interpret the sensitivities and interests of the different
sectors affected and/or interested in the FTAA negotiations.

Parliamentarians: Engage in an ongoing and open dialogue with
parliamentarians throughout the FTAA negotiating process, via the
participation of public officials in parliamentary committee hearings,
seminars, working groups, and the like.

Information Material: Develop documents on a periodic basis (e.g. weekly
bulletins) to educate and create awareness among stakeholders by providing
general information about the FTAA negotiations, updates on the status of
the negotiations, etc.

Electronic Information Networks: Use web sites and electronic mail to
disseminate relevant, accurate and timely information related to the FTAA
process. These networks provide access to key documents about the FTAA,
announce the holding of public events, and include press releases,
speeches, as well as media advisories. They also provide a feedback
mechanism in order to receive comments and queries from interested
parties.

Official newspapers: Issue invitations and other notices in official
newspapers (e.g. Gazette, Federal Register) in order to inform the public
about key governmental initiatives related to the FTAA.

Other Communication Tools: Share key information with civil society
through letters, print media (e.g. local newspapers) and third-party
publications (e.g. business journals, NGO newsletters, etc.), radio,
television, and via the participation of government officials in various
events organized by non-governmental entities.

Annexed to this document you can find additional information on best
practices and illustrative examples of consultations with civil society at
the national/regional level, as provided by delegations.

National experiences as presented by delegations, to date:

ARGENTINA

The Government of Argentina uses various mechanisms for consultation and
communication with civil society as a means to strengthen the
participation of the latter in the FTAA process. It publicizes Open
Invitations to Civil Society, both in the Official Gazette and on the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs web page, so that contributions for the FTAA
process may then be submitted to the Committee of Government
Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society. The Argentine
government also has four permanent consultative mechanisms with various
sectors of civil society: the Mercosur Economic and Social Consultative
Forum, the International Trade Council, the Civil Society Consultative
Council, and the Parliamentary Working Group. The first, second, and
fourth entity mentioned above meet monthly to analyze the development of
trade negotiations, while the third also meets monthly to review progress
made in the negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas. In
addition to these four mechanisms, the Government of Argentina conducts
periodic consultations on various aspects of hemispheric negotiations by
issuing calls for meetings and public forums to hold timely discussions on
issues of interest in various sectors of national life. For example, on 6
August 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina invited the
business sector to report on market access negotiations and to request
contributions from the private sector on that issue. Some 140 people
representing 97 entities took part in the meeting, which resulted in more
than 70 contributions from the business sector.

BAHAMAS

The Government of The Bahamas has taken a variety of measures at the
national level to consult with civil society on the FTAA process and the
possible implications of the proposed agreement for The Bahamas. These
have included publicizing the Open Invitations to Civil Society through
the local print media and through drawing the attention of the public to
the information available through the FTAA’s official Web Site. The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosts a series of monthly meetings with
representatives of civil society organizations on issues pertinent to the
FTAA negotiations. Emerging from this forum, a central association of
representatives from diverse sectors of civil society has been established
for the purpose of maintaining an ongoing dialogue with the Government on
the FTAA and other related matters.

A regional conference on the FTAA sponsored by the Trade Union Congress of
The Bahamas was held in October, 2002. Government Ministers, Bahamian FTAA
negotiators, other government officials and members of the wider civil
society took part in this event. There has been similar involvement in
various other conferences and seminars sponsored nationally by the
Government itself - through the Ministry of Trade and Industry and through
the Central Bank of The Bahamas - and by private sector, academic,
religious and other groups. Government Ministers and FTAA negotiators also
appear on television, on radio talk shows and at meetings of service clubs
and other special interest groups to discuss the FTAA. These events
receive wide coverage in the local print and electronic media.

A particularly important initiative on the part of the Government of The
Bahamas was the appointment, in December, 2002, of the Bahamas Commission
on Trade, a body whose members are drawn from both the public and private
sectors, as well as from various segments of civil society. A significant
aspect of the Commission’s mandate is to study and discuss widely with the
Bahamian public matters related to the FTAA and, based on these measures,
to provide feedback to negotiators and advice to the Government. In order
to fulfil these responsibilities more effectively, sub-committees of the
Commission have been established to parallel the negotiating groups and
other committees of the FTAA. These committees also include FTAA
negotiators who may not be members of the Commission itself, and other
individuals drawn from relevant areas of the public and private sectors
and civil society. Written invitations have also been extended to
significant interest groups to submit their views directly to the
Commission on matters related to trade liberalization.

BRAZIL

The General Coordination of the FTAA Negotiations (COALCA), of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, uses its web page
(http://www.mre.gov.br/Alca/home.htm) to disseminate information on the
FTAA negotiations. This web page provides access to documents such as the
Open Invitation to Hemispheric Civil Society and the entire initial offer
of goods presented by MERCOSUR in the context of the FTAA negotiations.
Comments and queries on the progress of the negotiations and positions
adopted by the Government of Brazil may be addressed to the General
Coordination at coalca@mre.gov.br.

In 1996, the Brazilian government created the National Coordination Unit
on FTAA-Related Issues (SENALCA) as a coordination forum for Brazilian
civil society on the FTAA negotiations. SENALCA comprises representatives
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Chamber of Foreign Trade; the
Central Bank; the ministries of Justice, Finance, and Health; the Ministry
of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply; the Ministry of Development,
Industry, and Foreign Trade; and the Ministry of Planning, Budget, and
Management. In order to ensure broad representation of civil society in
SENALCA meetings, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites representatives
of other public entities and of various national economic and social
sectors, including academia, parliamentarians, labor union and employer
organizations, and members of non-governmental organizations. To date,
SENALCA has held thirty-two meetings.”

The Government of Brazil also organizes seminars on the FTAA negotiations.
The Parliamentary Summit for Hemispheric Integration took place from 18-20
November 2002 in Brasilia. Parliamentarians of Argentina, Belize, Bolivia,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay discussed
the challenges in the hemispheric integration of the Americas project.
Representatives of the United States, the Italian Parliament, the Joint
Parliamentary Committee of MERCOSUR, the Andean Parliament, and PARLATINO,
among others, were also in attendance. Additionally, the Brazilian Chamber
of Deputies organized the seminar “Brazil and the FTAA” (23-24 October
2001), in which fifty-two representatives of government and civil society
discussed Brazil’s objectives and interests in the negotiations.

On 14 March 2003, in Brasilia - DF, the Government of Brazil held a
seminar on the issue of dispute settlement in the context of the WTO,
FTAA, MERCOSUR, and MERCSOUR-European Union negotiations. In attendance
were more than 150 participants, representing the government and
production sectors, class associations, law firms, universities and study
centers, labor confederations, and civil society in general. The event was
divided into four parts (WTO, FTAA, MERCOSUR, and MERCOSUR-European Union,
each having a speaker (Government) and two panelists (academic and private
sector). In addition to the productive exchange of information among the
participants, the seminar provided another opportunity to develop
relations between government and civil society in the context of trade
negotiations. The 14 March seminar should be given continuity through
similar initiatives addressing more specific points in the context of the
negotiations on dispute settlement. The seminar program and other relevant
information is available at www.mre.gov.br (path: Sites do MRE - CGC -
Reunião sobre Solução de Controvérsias).

A Parliamentary Conference on the FTAA to discuss “The Role of Legislators
in the FTAA” will be held in Brasilia on 20 and 21 October 2003.

CANADA

The Government of Canada is fully committed to civil society participation
in the FTAA negotiations. In Canada’s view, openness and transparency are
key to an informed debate about this hemispheric initiative. Effective
two-way communication channels between governments and citizens are vital
to increase their understanding of free trade, and to build broad public
support and confidence for trade negotiations and agreements. To that end,
the Government of Canada, mainly through the Department of Foreign Affairs
and International Trade, uses a range of permanent and ad-hoc consultative
and outreach mechanisms and strategies to ensure that the views of
industry, non-governmental groups, and Canadians at large are taken into
account in the Canada’s trade policy agenda. These mechanisms include, but
are not restricted to: the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on
Trade, the joint Government of Canada-Federation of Canadian
Municipalities working group, the Sectoral Advisory Groups on
International Trade, the Academic Advisory Council, as well as
Multistakeholder Information and Consultations Sessions. In addition to
these mechanisms, the Government of Canada also uses every opportunity to
work with Canadian parliamentarians and with our trading partners with a
view to strengthen public engagement at home and increase civil society
participation within inter-governmental forums and entities. Consultations
are productive and rewarding only if citizens are kept up-to-date and
engaged on an ongoing and sustained basis with respect to Canada’s trade
development and outcomes. The Government of Canada informs Canadians and
solicits input on trade policy matters through the Trade Negotiations and
Agreements website (www.ftaa.gc.ca), which includes, inter alia: the draft
consolidated FTAA negotiating text with a description of each chapter of
the agreement; Canada’s positions and proposals in these negotiations, and
notably our market access offers; frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) and
answers; an information kit; a list of key Government of Canada FTAA
negotiators, with their contact information; and consultation notices. The
input of interested parties is facilitate via the following email address:
ftaa.zlea@dfait-maeci.gc.ca

CARICOM

CARICOM has a long tradition of consultation with members of civil society
at the national and regional levels and has developed a number of regional
mechanisms, which facilitate ongoing dialogue with civil society on a
range of issues, including the FTAA negotiations. The CARICOM Charter on
Civil Society adopted by CARICOM Heads of Government in 1997 provides the
platform for dialogue with civil society at the national level and in the
various organs of the Community, namely the Conference of Heads of
Government, the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), the
Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), and the Council for
Finance and Planning (COFAP), in order to engage major stakeholders on
matters of trade policy, social policy and the overall development of the
Community. The Caribbean Regional Machinery, the negotiating arm of
CARICOM, has also established mechanisms such as Technical Working Groups,
and a Private Sector Liaison Committee, which facilitate technical
consultation and exchange of information with the private sector and civil
society in general on developments within the negotiations. Other tools
include a weekly electronic newsletter on trade negotiations issues as
well as regular regional seminars with different groups of civil society
such as media workers and labor unions.

CHILE

International trade policy has been the centerpiece of Chile’s economic
development. Given its relatively small domestic market, Chile’s economic
development potential depends directly on the successful application of
the export development model, since the country’s foreign trade accounts
for more than 50 percent of GDP, and for more than 70 percent thereof
including the services sector. It is in this context that Chile has
negotiated trade agreements with its main trading partners. For trade
agreements to have meaning and political legitimacy in the medium- and
long-term, and to contribute to the country’s general prosperity,
negotiators must appropriately consider the proposals and concerns of
civil society regarding the negotiating themes and provide information on
the negotiation process.

In every one of its trade negotiations, Chile has engaged in ongoing
consultations with its business sector, so as to identify and adequately
interpret the sensitivities and interests of the different production
sectors included in the offers and negotiations, particularly in the area
of tariffs and rules of origin. Beginning in the mid-1990s, other sectors
were incorporated into the consultations process, when the Office of
International Economic Relations (DIRECON), of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, launched a dialogue on international trade negotiations with
various civil society organizations (academic and professional
associations, trade unions, and NGOs).

This dialogue began with the negotiation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
between Chile and Canada (1995-1996), which was complemented by the
signing of separate environmental cooperation and labor agreements. The
dialogue was subsequently intensified with the start of the FTAA
negotiations, the work of the Committee of Government Representatives on
the Participation of Civil Society, and in the wake of the Seattle
Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization.

Against this backdrop, the Government of Chile disseminated the First Open
Invitation of the FTAA Civil Society Committee in 1999, sending letters to
different non-governmental organizations and institutions, and through the
press and its websites. Civil society organizations were called upon to
submit written presentations on FTAA-related issues.

In 2000, under the administration of President Lagos, and with a new
emphasis on the need for dialogue with civil society at all levels of
government pursuant to presidential instructions issued in this regard,
the FTAA expanded its open invitation. More notices were placed in
newspapers, government authorities increased public activities, and
information was made available on the FTAA negotiating process, and on
joint initiatives with interested sectors of civil society.

Special mention must be made of Chile’s efforts to develop the website of
the Office for International Economic Relations, (DIRECON), at
www.direcon.cl. According to the first-quarter report for 2003, not only
has this web site become an increasingly important work tool, but it also
surpassed its record of 1,400,000 hits, with a total of 1,676,855 hits in
April. Widespread use of the Internet has translated into an average
500,000 visits per month to Chilean government websites, the most popular
being those related to economic agreements and foreign trade. The “Civil
Society” section, the most popular on the site, highlights the importance
of information in the political management of foreign trade.

Four open invitations to civil society were issued in 2001 and 2002,
during which time Chile was involved in negotiations for the FTAA and for
free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States.
Seminars were also held in Santiago and other regions, some with trade
unions or with other sectors of civil society, in order to make
information on these negotiations increasingly accessible and also to
foster contributions and comments from civil society. Participating in
these activities were business organizations, as well as trade unions and
other associations grouped by their respective activities. This approach
was also used with the academic sector and NGOs. During negotiations with
the United States, Chile, for the first time for this type of negotiation,
set up three “side rooms” (for business, unions, and small- and
medium-sized enterprises) to inform and consult with different sectors
during the successive negotiation rounds. This process has continued,
through the dissemination of the contents of the Treaties and the
resulting opportunities created for the different sectors.

In order to achieve greater transparency in its foreign trade and
international trade negotiations, Chile has adopted mechanisms such as the
Ministerial Advisory Council, which comprises representatives of the
various political sectors, trade associations, and parliamentarians who
have submitted their views on international trade negotiations, without
prejudice to governing constitutional procedure.

Finally, we wish to emphasize the importance of the following mechanisms,
which promote consultations and participation:

the open and permanent invitation to the public to submit their views,
concerns, and interests to negotiators;

ensuring that the different sectors of civil society are informed on the
status of the negotiations, as well as on the potential impacts and the
results thereof, by disseminating information on the institutional web
page, in the media, and through seminars and workshops;

creating “side rooms” representing the various sectors at the most
relevant negotiation meetings; and

taking steps towards the institutionalization of consultation and
participation mechanisms.

COLOMBIA

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism has furthered the FTAA
negotiations by consistently coordinating the country’s position on each
of the topics included in the process. It therefore set up the negotiating
team to ensure that Colombia’s position reflects national interests and in
response to the need to involve civil society in the negotiations in which
the country is engaged within a tripartite arrangement that includes the
public sector, the private sector, and academia.

In addition, throughout the negotiations, the Ministry of Commerce,
Industry, and Tourism, as coordinator of the international trade
negotiations in which Colombia is taking part, has made a priority of
using all available tools to provide ample information on the negotiating
process through which the FTAA is to be created. The Ministry has, thus,
been present at different trade union forums, congresses, and
universities. The Ministry has also held seminars and meetings on the
topic. At these events, the Ministry has informed the private sector on
the progress and the scope of negotiations.

In keeping with the countries’ commitment to publicize the open invitation
for civil society to submit contributions on the FTAA negotiations, the
Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism has disseminated this
invitation in a variety of ways.

COSTA RICA

In order to boost the participation of civil society in the FTAA process,
the government of Costa Rica has set up a process for consultation,
dialogue and information with the various sectors of civil society. This
process functions basically on two levels. At the first level, there is
the Foreign Trade Consultative Council, which was created by the Law on
Negotiations and the Administration of Free Trade Treaties, Agreements and
Instruments of Foreign Trade, of 21 November 2000. This Council is
responsible for advising the Executive Branch of government on the
definition of foreign trade and foreign investment policies and for
promoting mechanisms for coordination and cooperation with the private
sector so that those policies and trade negotiations are executed. The
Council is chaired by the Foreign Trade Minister and consists of both
public officials and representatives of the private sector.

The second level consists of the process of direct consultation with
companies, professional associations, and other sectors of civil society,
which in turn is divided into various levels and modalities of
consultation and outreach: (a) open invitations issued in the official
newspaper (‘La Gaceta’) for people to send in contributions regarding the
FTAA process; (b) direct consultations with companies and professional
associations. In 2002, for example, individual invitations were sent to
over 900 companies and around 60 chambers of commerce and sectoral groups
for distribution among their members; (c) an electronic information
network called ‘Punto de Enlace Permanente’ (Permanent Connection
Point-PEP by its Spanish acronym), which currently has 1,500 users who, on
average, receive two weekly bulletins on the progress of the various
negotiations underway; (d) periodic diffusion of specific information via
Internet or electronic mail on markets and the status of the FTAA
negotiations, among other things; (e) ongoing, open dialogue with the
Legislative Assembly throughout the consultation and FTAA negotiation
process; and (f) the organization of various Conference Cycles and other
public events on FTAA issues.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Since the beginning of the negotiations taking place as part of the FTAA
process, the Dominican Republic has designed and implemented different
mechanisms to promote and strengthen the participation of civil society.
The Dominican Republic places top priority on maximizing the transparency
of these negotiations, as this will guarantee that the results benefit the
entire country and generate the social and political consensus necessary
for Congress to approve the Agreement once the negotiations have
concluded.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations incorporated various entities from the
private sector and civil society into a National Trade Negotiations
Commission. With this tool, the civil society entities are able to
transmit their opinions and concerns directly to the government
negotiating team.

With a view to publicizing the progress made in the negotiations and
promoting issues relevant to the future Free Trade Area of the Americas,
the government created an Internet portal where users may access different
kinds of information. In addition, the government broadcasts a weekly
television program discussing FTAA-related issues, in which the government
negotiating team and civil society entities are invited to participate and
present their points of view. Furthermore, the government is currently in
the process of developing a project to broadcast a similar program on the
radio in order to provide information on the progress of the negotiations
to those communities where access to television is limited.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations and other executive branch offices have
organized events, seminars, and conferences together with civil society
entities. These meetings have served to generate consensus among
participants on the main advantages and disadvantages of certain aspects
being negotiated in the FTAA. Moreover, in an effort to educate and
increase awareness among those parties with an interest in economic
integration, the government has published a variety of magazines and
bulletins containing general information on the FTAA negotiations.

Finally, prior to each hemispheric issue meeting organized by the SOC, the
Ministry of Foreign Relations organizes a meeting with representatives of
civil society for the purpose of inviting them to attend the
aforementioned meeting. If they are unable to attend, they are invited to
transmit any concerns to the official delegate, who subsequently presents
them at the issue meeting.

ECUADOR

The activities undertaken by the Government of Ecuador to foster the
participation of civil society in the hemispheric negotiations of the FTAA
include:

In order to inform the public and encourage as much debate as possible,
the document entitled “Ecuador: General Guidelines for a Strategy for the
Free Trade Area of the Americas” was published. Eight hundred copies of
this publication have been distributed throughout the country to
production federations and chambers, universities, trade unions,
indigenous and Afro-American communities, social groups, professional
associations, and non-governmental organizations. Several seminars and
issue forums have been held in Quito and Guayaquil with the country’s
production sectors, journalists, and universities. A brochure containing
summarized information on the FTAA, which highlights the transparency of
the process and describes the spaces for participation being developed, is
currently being distributed. An e-mail address has been made available so
that interested members of civil society may submit their comments and
suggestions. Officials from the FTAA Unit are traveling to the country’s
main cities to hold information sessions on the status of the
negotiations.

JAMAICA

The Government of Jamaica is fully supportive of the involvement of civil
society in trade negotiations. It is recognised that it is business
enterprises which carry out trade and not governments, therefore the input
of the private sector in formulating negotiating positions is important.
In the same manner, the society at large, the consumers, labour, academia
etc. are an integral part of the process as they will be affected in one
way or another by decisions made.

The Government of Jamaica has sought to inform and consult with civil
society on a regular basis. In 1992 the Trade Coordination and Policy
Committee (TCPC) was put in place to facilitate cooperation between the
public and the private sectors. To further enhance civil society
participation in the trade negotiations process a consultative mechanism
was established in 2001 under the aegis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Foreign Trade. This is the Jamaica Trade and Adjustment Team (JTAT).

JTAT is designed to deepen and widen the consultative process to include a
wider cross-section of society, namely Jamaica’s private sector,
non-governmental organisations, labour and academia. JTAT meets regularly
as a body, and also convenes in smaller groups on specific issues on the
trade agenda. The issues being addressed within the FTAA are therefore
discussed and the differing positions from the various sectors considered.

JTAT assists in the policy formulation, designed to guide trade
negotiations and in information dissemination to the wider public.

In addition to this consultative mechanism various events have been
organised by the private sector and NGOs, which have been fora of
information sharing and consultation.

The involvement of civil society in the technical and Ministerial meetings
of CARICOM, has also facilitated the consultation process at the regional
level. The different positions are aired, and if at all possible resolved
and consolidated into regional positions.

The Government has communicated to the various sectors its interest in
getting their views on matters and is open to receiving comments, concerns
and interests for submission to negotiations.

MEXICO

The Mexican Government considers the participation of civil society in the
negotiation process of the Free Trade Area of the Americas to be highly
important. The dissemination of information and transparency regarding the
development of this process have been essential elements for furthering
such participation.

Within the framework of the FTAA negotiation process, the Mexican
Government has intensified its dialogue and expanded its mechanisms for
communication with civil society. Regular open meetings that allow for
direct dialogue between government representatives and representatives of
business and non-governmental organizations, as well as meetings with the
academic sector, have formed the mainstay of civil society participation
in the process.

These meetings and events have turned into true forums for information
sharing and consultation and have enabled the Mexican Government to hear
opinions, answer queries, and discover the expectations and needs of the
various sectors that make up Mexican civil society. The participants in
the meetings, for their part, have had the opportunity to learn about and
discuss Mexico's official position with regard to the FTAA negotiations.

The organization of various events within the FTAA framework itself, such
as the North American Regional Seminar, held in Merida, Mexico, on 18 July
2002, or the Meeting with Hemispheric Civil Society “Progress in the FTAA
Negotiations”, held in Puebla, on 8 April 2003, in parallel with the
Thirteenth Meeting of the FTAA Trade Negotiations Committee that was
attended by the Vice Ministers of Trade of the hemisphere, have also
contributed to the process of furthering dialogue with civil society.

Printed and electronic media have also played an important role in this
process. Various open invitations to events held as forums for the
participation of civil society have been issued through national
newspapers. The web site of the Secretariat of the Economy
(www.economia.gob.mx) has provided the general public with access to a
wide range of information on the FTAA, from negotiation texts to
negotiation principles and modalities, meeting schedules, etc.

PANAMA

At several points during the negotiation process for the creation of the
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the Ministers have, in the
Ministerial declarations, reaffirmed their commitment to civil society in
their respective countries to inform the community at large about the FTAA
negotiations process. Panama therefore takes this opportunity to report on
some activities it has carried out with its civil society with a view to
ensuring that the latter is duly informed of the events underway in the
FTAA process in compliance with the commitments assumed.

Within this context, and in accordance with the agreements reached by the
FTAA Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil
Society, the following action has been taken:

Open Invitation: This was set up as one of the mechanisms for reaching
out to Civil Society so that it can contribute its viewpoints on matters
related to the FTAA negotiation process. Panama has published all the Open
Invitations issued by the Committee of Government Representatives on the
Participation of Civil Society through newspapers, the radio and the
website of the Vice-Ministry of Foreign Trade.

Seminars and Conferences: As part of the strategy pursued by the FTAA
Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil
Society, the delegations agreed to hold seminars and conferences with
civil society in their respective countries. In Panama, the Ministry of
Trade and Industry held an institutional seminar which reported on all
aspects of the FTAA negotiations, including their structure, workings and
current status.

Several conferences have also been held through private organizations,
such as the Union of Industrialists of Panama (SIP), the Panamanian
Association of Business Executives (APEDE), and the Free Trade Zone of
Colon, etc. Information on the FTAA negotiations has also been provided to
the following universities: The University of Panama, the Santa María la
Antigua University (USMA), the Latin American University (LATINA), the
Latin American University of Foreign Trade (ULACEX), and the Technological
University.

Finally, the National Directorate of International Trade Negotiations
(DINECI) of the Vice-Ministry of Foreign Trade has sent representatives to
secondary schools, civic groups, and student associations to provide
information on the negotiations, which has produced very satisfactory
results in terms of public awareness-raising.

Call for Public Participation: In light of the issue meetings held with
civil society within the FTAA framework for the purpose of increasing
civil society’s level of participation in the negotiations, Panama has
issued calls for public participation through the National Directorate of
International Trade Negotiations (DINECI) of the Vice-Ministry of Foreign
Trade, that have been published in the official gazette of the State, with
a view to encouraging its civil society to participate and keep itself
duly informed. The most recent call, issued in September 2003, resulted in
closer ties being established with one of the country's professional
associations, the National College of Attorneys.

The Web Page: As this was one of the instruments the FTAA Committee of
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society had
suggested as a means of informing civil society on matters related to the
negotiations, the Vice-Ministry of Foreign Trade has set up a website with
information on the FTAA negotiations, as well as a direct link to the FTAA
public website.

PARAGUAY

The institutions involved in the process of setting up the Free Trade Area
of the Americas (FTAA), under the General Coordination Office of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have agreed to create a system to disseminate
information on international agenda issues that coordinates the interests
of the various national sectors, including the private sector and
organized sectors of society, by creating forums for dialogue to allow for
the formulation of strategies related to Paraguay's foreign agenda and for
defining the top-priority objectives shared between civil society and the
government. As a result of the pursuit of this goal, new national
strategies generated now and in the future will serve to direct public
policies and guide community actions, linking them effectively to the
international system.

In an effort to fulfill the mandate issued by the Ministers at Quito to
improve the participation of civil society and strengthen the efforts of
the Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil
Society (SOC), the Republic of Paraguay has organized various working
meetings, roundtables, seminars, and debates, structured as issue
meetings, with the private sector and society in general, on matters
related to the economic integration processes in which Paraguay
participates, and, particularly, the FTAA negotiation process.

PERU

As the entity responsible for international trade negotiations, the
Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y
Turismo - MINCETUR by its Spanish acronym) has been disseminating
information on the FTAA negotiations currently underway to civil society
on an ongoing basis.

MINCETUR has been using several mechanisms to carry out this task. Open
Invitations to Hemispheric Civil Society were publicized on several mass
communication media: the MINCETUR webpage and the print media, as well as
through direct contact with different civil society members and
institutions, under a participation strategy involving different sectors
thereof, such as businesses, academia, and experts on specialized issues,
among others.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The United States places a great deal of importance on outreach and
consultations with domestic civil society throughout the course of trade
negotiations, and employs several formal and informal consultative
mechanisms to increase civil society awareness of and participation in the
FTAA process. For example, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
(USTR) has issued several public notices in the Federal Register and on
its website inviting any interested organization or member of the public
to comment on all aspects of FTAA negotiations, and has also notified the
public via Federal Register and the USTR website of the SOC’s Open and
Ongoing Invitation to hemispheric civil society to comment on the FTAA.
All civil society responses to the Federal Register are transmitted to
U.S. trade negotiators and disseminated throughout the government so that
civil society views may be taken into consideration in the development of
U.S. positions, and all Federal Register responses are available for
public inspection to promote transparency.

In addition to the issuance of Federal Register notices, the U.S.
periodically holds public Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) hearings.
Public TPSC hearings encourage civil society to provide oral testimony in
addition to written comments on any issue related to the FTAA agreement.
For example, on September 9-10 2002, the U.S. hosted a TPSC hearing on the
effects of the elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade and
other market liberalization among FTAA participating countries.
Sixty-three written responses were received from a broad range of groups
representing agricultural, business, labor, environmental, consumer and
other NGO interests. Thirty-three persons provided oral testimony on their
written contributions to government officials from various U.S. agencies,
including USTR and the Departments of State, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor,
the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies, during the two-day
public hearing. Such public hearings give civil society stakeholders the
opportunity to express their views directly to government policymakers,
and allow government officials to seek clarifications and further
explanation in person in order to better understand the various positions
expressed by civil society. Beyond formal public hearings, USTR also holds
periodic public briefings on the FTAA with senior government officials
that allow for open question and answer sessions, and may provide
teleconference capacity for members of the public who cannot attend in
person. A recent FTAA public briefing was held on July 24, 2003 in
Washington, D.C.

The United States also maintains a statutory trade advisory committee
system mandated by the U.S. Congress, currently consisting of 33 private
sector advisory committees, which provide input and advice to the U.S.
Government from the perspective of industry sectors, agricultural sectors,
labor, environment, state and local governments, and other interests. USTR
also frequently consults with Congress on the FTAA.

ANNEX

BEST PRACTICES AND ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF CONSULTATIONS WITH CIVIL
SOCIETY AT THE NATIONAL/REGIONAL LEVEL

Additional information on best practices and illustrative examples of
consultations with civil society at the national/regional level, as
provided by delegations.

ARGENTINA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Culture of the
Argentine Republic, through the Secretariat of International Trade and
Economic Relations and its dependent institutions, is carrying out several
activities to promote the participation of civil society in the trade
negotiations.

These activities include: distribution of information on trade
negotiations in which the Argentine Republic is involved, calls for
briefings on the negotiation processes, timely consultations on issues of
interest to civil society, and participation in seminars and workshops on
trade negotiations. Furthermore, Argentina has established four
institutional mechanisms for civil society participation: the Mercosur
Economic and Social Consultative Forum, the International Trade Council,
the Civil Society Consultative Council, and the Parliamentary Working
Group.

The goal of these initiatives is to allow for follow-up and broad-based
civil society participation in the architecture of Argentina’s position as
it is presented in the various negotiations in which our country is
involved.

Mercosur Economic and Social Consultative Forum

The Mercosur Economic and Social Consultative Forum, established in the
Ouro Preto Protocol of December 1994, comprises representatives of various
economic and social sectors of the four Mercosur Member States.

The national sections that compose the Forum are autonomous in their
organization and may independently choose their participating entities. In
the case of Argentina, the Forum consists of representatives of the
Argentine Industrial Union, the Argentine Chamber of Commerce, the
Argentine Rural Society, the General Confederation of Labor, and the
Argentine Consumer Association (ADELCO).

The Forum acts as a consultative body and formulates recommendations for
the Mercosur Common Market Group.

International Trade Council

The International Trade Council, created in November 2002 on the
initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, comprises
representatives of 30 academic and business entities from the Argentine
Republic.

The Council meets monthly with government officials responsible for trade
negotiations and who represent the various government agencies that
participate in these negotiations. Prior to each meeting, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs submits briefings on the status of trade negotiations,
which are subsequently analyzed by the Council.

The Council fulfills consultative duties and submits its contributions to
the Secretariat of Trade and International Economic Relations of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Civil Society Consultative Council

The Civil Society Consultative Council, created by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Argentina in December 2002, comprises representatives of 65
academic, business, union, and consumer entities, as well as
non-governmental organizations, interested in the development of the
negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

The Council meets monthly with government officials responsible for the
Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations and who represent the various
government agencies that participating therein. The goal of the Council is
to analyze the progress of the FTAA negotiations, through discussion on
each of the substantive issues in the hemispheric process.

Prior to each meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs distributes the
draft chapter corresponding to each FTAA entity, as well as a briefing on
the position of Argentina and Mercosur on the issue being considered.
Particpants may make contributions, suggestions, and comments regarding
each of the negotiating themes.

The Council fulfills consultative duties and submits its contributions to
the Directorate for North America and Hemispheric Affairs of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.

Parliamentary Working Group

The Parliamentary Working Group, created in December 2002 on the
initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, comprises
legislators from the various committees of the legislative branch of
government that work in trade negotiations: Foreign Affairs, Trade,
Industry, Agriculture, Mercosur, Integration, and Trade Negotiations.

The Working Group meets monthly with trade negotiation officials from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina. The goal of the Working Group is
to conduct ongoing monitoring of the negotiations in which the Argentine
Republic participates. Prior to each meeting, briefing documents on the
status of trade negotiations are distributed.

Consultations and Distribution of Information

In addition to these institutional mechanisms to promote the participation
of different sectors of civil society, the Government of Argentina has
further opportunities to communicate with those sectors interested in
trade negotiations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has posted permanent information on its
web page about the country’s trade negotiations, including the FTAA Draft
Agreements. Further information on these processes is available
electronically and also published in the Official Gazette of the Argentine
Republic.

Working meetings are also conducted to report on the progress of the
negotiations and to request timely contributions from civil society on
issues under consideration in each of the negotiating processes. Seminars
and/or workshops are organized for different entities interested in the
progress of the negotiations.

Finally, briefings and assessments are conducted before and after the
Ministerial and the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) meetings of the
FTAA. Similar meetings are held after the meetings of the FTAA Negotiating
Groups in which sectors interested in the substantive negotiations issues
of each entity participate.

BRAZIL

As part of the Buenos Aires Ministerial Declaration, Ministers recognized
the importance of maintaining an open and sustained dialogue with civil
society. On that occasion, Ministers recognized the importance of the fora
and seminars on FTAA negotiations that different civil society
organizations have carried out in the countries of the region and invited
them to present the conclusions of their work to the Committee of
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society (Buenos
Aires Ministerial Declaration, paragraph 30).

This commitment to recognize and encourage the organization of regional
and national seminars related to the process of establishing the FTAA was
reaffirmed in the Quito Ministerial Declaration, which also welcomed the
presentations of the conclusions to the Committee of Government
Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society (Quito Ministerial
Declaration, paragraph 32).

In light of this, the Brazilian Delegation would like to submit a summary
report on the national seminar “Brazil and the FTAA”, organized by the
Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, with the support of the Brazilian Ministry
of External Relations, on 23 and 24 October, 2001. The objective was to
discuss the potential economic and social impact of the FTAA on Latin
America, particularly Brazil, in light of the heterogeneity of social
indicators, cultural heritage, economic development and levels of
specialization of the States participating in this endeavor.

The seminar brought together a group of distinguished foreign and
Brazilian authorities, academics, business people, union leaders and
journalists representing a wide array of tendencies and opinions. The
proceedings were open to participation by all sectors of Brazilian
society. Over the course of two days, fifty-five speakers exchanged views
and debated the diverse aspects of negotiating a free trade area in the
Americas.

The meeting was subdivided into seven panel discussions encompassing such
diverse questions as the ongoing processes of integration across the
world; the experience of the North American Free Trade Agreement; market
access, tariffs, barriers to trade and rules of origin; agriculture;
services, investments and government procurement; financial services;
telecommunications; labor and environmental standards; trade defense and
competition policy; intellectual property and, finally, a general
evaluation of the discussions.

The programs of the seminar and background information about the main
speakers are attached.

Full transcripts of all the debates and additional background papers are
contained in the book “Brazil and the FTAA”, which will be made available
by Brazil to all delegations at the Administrative Secretariat.

CANADA

Openness and transparency are fundamental to the way in which Canada
approaches trade negotiations. The Government of Canada supports greater
engagement with all the levels of government (provincial, territorial and
municipal), as well as with parliamentarians, in the inter-American trade
agenda. Canada’s position for all trade negotiations is developed by the
Federal Government in partnership with provincial and territorial
governments, and reflects the results of extensive consultations with
non-governmental organisations (NGOs), businesses and the general public.
These consultations are an important part of the Government’s overall
commitment to ensure that Canada’s position continues to reflect Canadian
interests, values and priorities. The Government has made a concerted
effort to engage in an open and informed dialogue with Canadian
stakeholders through a range of consultation and outreach mechanisms and
strategies, which are described below.

To assist elected officials with their obligation to inform and exchange
views with their constituents on public policy issues, the Government of
Canada ensures that the Canadian Parliament is fully informed and
consulted about the FTAA negotiations. The Minister for International
Trade as well as senior government officials are regularly invited to
appear at hearings of relevant Senate and House Committees on the state of
Canada’s trade policies, programs and proposals. Since the launch of the
FTAA negotiations in 1998, the House of Commons Standing Committee on
Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) has already conducted
three studies (in 1999, 2001 and 2002) related to the FTAA. The SCFAIT
reports were prepared after extensive public testimonies and they provide
valuable direction and guidance to Canada’s trade negotiations. The
Government Response to the latest of these Reports, entitled
“Strengthening Canada’s Economic Links with the Americas”, was tabled in
the House of Commons in October 2002 and is available to the public on the
Trade Negotiations and Agreement website of the Department of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade:
<http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/tna-nac/documents/FTAArep-e.pdf>. Canadian
parliamentarians also participate in information sessions and roundtable
discussions.

Provinces and Territories:

Although the exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government, trade
agreements and dispute settlements increasingly address areas of
provincial jurisdiction and require provincial implementation. Provincial
and territorial governments are fully consulted on the identification of
issues, development of strategies and positions during the preparations
for and during the course of negotiations. The Federal Government
maintains a close relationship with the provinces and territories in the
area of international trade policy by means of a variety of different
mechanisms. Federal, provincial and territorial officials participate in
the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Trade (C-Trade) which
meets at least quarterly in order to exchange information, share
perspectives and develop Canadian positions on a range of international
trade policy issues, including negotiations. In addition to these regular
meetings, Canadian Ministers responsible for trade as well as Deputy
Ministers meet roughly once a year to develop further the cooperative
relationship that exists with provinces and territories in trade policy,
to update them on recent developments and to discuss further cooperation
on key issues. The Government of Canada also maintains restricted
federal-provincial-territorial websites, and schedules numerous conference
calls with provinces/territories to facilitate the sharing of documents
and current information.

Municipalities:

Municipalities have expressed a growing interest in promoting increased
trade and investment opportunities for their communities, and, more
recently, in trade policy issues. Over the past year, the Government of
Canada has been working hard to address the concerns of municipalities. A
joint Government of Canada/Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
working group was established in November 2001. The working group provides
an opportunity for information exchange, to hear the views of local
governments through the FCM and build mutual understanding on issues of
common interest. Further information on the relationship between the
Government of Canada and Canadian municipalities with respect to trade
negotiations and agreements can be found at:
<http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/tna-nac/fcM-e.asp>.

Trade Negotiations and Agreements (TNA) Website

Since its launch in May 1999, the TNA website has been critical to the
Government of Canada’s capacity to meet demands for greater information
and public participation regarding Canada’s international trade agenda.
The FTAA section of the TNA website (www.ftaa.gc.ca) provides Canadians with accessible, accurate,
reliable and up-to-date information on the FTAA negotiations. It includes,
inter alia, the draft consolidated FTAA negotiating text, Canada’s
positions and proposals, frequently asked questions (FAQs), an information
kit, a list of key government contacts, and consultation notices.
Interested parties are encouraged to visit this website and send their
comments to the Government on an ongoing basis. Recently, Canadians have
been invited to submit their views on the FTAA market access negotiations
for agricultural and non-agricultural goods, on government procurement,
and on Canada’s Strategic Environmental Assessment of the FTAA. Moreover,
Canada publicly released via this website its market access offers on
services, investment and government procurement, as well as a summary of
its market access offers for agricultural and non-agricultural goods.

Government of Canada Public Access Programs

In addition to the TNA website, and in keeping with its commitment to
finding new and innovative ways to consult with and engage Canadians on
public policy issues, the Government has created a single-window access to
a listing of consultations from selected government departments and
agencies. The “Consulting Canadians” pilot site can be accessed through
the following link: <http://www.consultingcanadians.gc.ca>. The Government
is also making greater use of Communications Canada’s customized
information services, including free-of-charge 1-800 numbers and linkages
via the Canada Site portal (www.canada.gc.ca).
While it encourage the use of new technologies to reach Canadians, the
Government continues to use the official Canada Gazette, as an instrument
of public record, to post notices with a view to inform and elicit
citizen’s comments on trade-related issues of importance to them.

Multistakeholder Information and Consultations Sessions

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, in partnership
with other government departments and agencies, holds periodic information
and consultation sessions with business and industry associations, NGOs
and public interest groups; and the academic community to address issues
of interest to a broad spectrum of Canadians, to which the Minister and
the Deputy Minister for International Trade often participate, as well as
parliamentarians engaged on the issues. The most recent multistakeholder
consultation on the FTAA was held in Ottawa on 27 February 2003 and was
Chaired by Mr. John Godfrey, Member of Parliament and Chair of the
Inter-American Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) Working Group on
the FTAA. A full report of this session can be viewed at
<http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/tna-nac/FTAA/multitask-report-en.asp>.

Sectoral Advisory Groups on International Trade (SAGITs)

Established in 1986, the Sectoral Advisory Groups on International Trade
(SAGITs) are comprised of senior business executives with representation
from industry associations, labour/environment, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and academia. Members are appointed for a two-year
renewable term by the Minister for International Trade to whom they
provide confidential advice on matters pertaining to the Government of
Canada’s trade policy agenda. Members serve in their individual capacities
and not as representatives of specific entities or interest groups. There
are currently ten active SAGITs representing various sectors (Agriculture,
Food and Beverage; Apparel and Footwear; Cultural Industries; Energy,
Chemicals and Plastics; Environment; Fish and Seafood Products;
Information Technologies; Medical and Health Care Products and Services;
Services; as well as Textiles, Fur and Leather), which conduct their work
via restricted web sites, on conference calls and in face-to-face
meetings.

Academic Advisory Council (AAC)

The Academic Advisory Council reports to the Deputy Minister for
International Trade and calls together some of the leading Canadian
experts on trade and related social and economic development matters for
in-depth review of collaborative work and/or analyses that narrow the gaps
on issues common to multilateral, bilateral and regional trade agreements
and negotiations. Through their expertise and research, the Council has
proven useful in contributing to fact-based, rational public discourse.

CARICOM

CARICOM Charter of Civil Society

CARICOM Heads of Government in 1997 adopted the CARICOM Charter of Civil
Society, the main objectives of which are to enhance public confidence in
governance, to create a truly participatory political environment within
the Caribbean Community, to enter the 21st Century on the basis of the
best possible governance and to achieve and sustain that governance by
mobilizing action for change. The Charter institutionalized a strong
tradition of consultation between CARICOM governments and stakeholders in
civil society at the national and regional levels, which dates back to the
early days of West Indian Federation in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The Charter, one of several recommendations of the 1992 West Indian
Commission Report - Time for Action, was itself the result of some
fourteen months of national consultations in individual CARICOM Member
States with a wide range of stakeholders to develop a strategic approach
to re-positioning the Caribbean in the Community of sovereign states. In
making its recommendations, the Commission noted that ‘Integration
inevitably involves inter-governmental negotiation and decision-making;
but it is not the preserve of Governments alone. People need to be drawn
into the process’.

The Charter provides the platform for strengthened dialogue with members
of civil society at the national level and in the various organs of the
Community, namely the Conference of Heads of Government, the Council for
Trade and Economic Development (COTED), the Council for Human and Social
Development (COHSOD), and the Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP), in
order to engage major stakeholders on matters of trade policy, social
policy and the overall development of the Community.

Forward Together Conference

Heads of Governments of the 15 CARICOM Member States convened in
Georgetown, Guyana in July 2002, together with representatives of
non-governmental organizations from the region to engage in consultations
aimed at strengthening the involvement of Civil Society in the different
processes in which the region is involved, in particular the program of
regional integration in the context of the Caribbean Single Market and
Economy (CSME).

The Civil Society ‘Forward Together Conference’, facilitated dialogue in
the context of three Working Groups on:

Human Resource Development with Equity, including issues in relation
to Gender, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Migration and the
Diaspora;

Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) - Capital Investment and
requirements for competitiveness; and

Governance and Participation

Besides agreeing on several broad principles for strengthening the
relationships between Caribbean Heads of Government and national
governments and the Civil Society, the Conference agreed to
institutionalize the Forward Together Process in the form of triennial
engagements between the Civil Society and the Heads of Government, and
established a Task Force comprising a small representative group of the
Civil Society, coordinated by the CARICOM Secretariat, to develop a
comprehensive regional strategic framework for carrying forward the main
recommendations of the Forward Together Conference.

The CARICOM Secretariat has also organized several consultations at the
national level throughout the Community on the various aspects of the
CARICOM Single Market and Economy. Similar consultations have been held
with general and legal interest groups on the role and functions of the
Caribbean Court of Justice, an integral part of the Community. Youth
Parliaments with various partners in individual Member States have also
permitted Youth groups to assist in defining regional priorities for youth
development.

In this general process of consultation, the private sector continues to
play an important role in shaping regional trade policy in the context of
the COTED, which oversees the functioning of internal market arrangements
as well as external trade relations. Other social sector groups - labor,
youth and women - participate in meetings of COHSOD which is charged with
establishing policies and programs to promote the development and
improvement of education, culture, health services, labor and industrial
relations, youth, women and sports, in the Community. Business, labor and
civil society groups also participate in the regular annual meetings of
the Conference of Heads of Government and are provided an opportunity to
make statements on their priority areas.

Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery

The Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) was formed in 1997 to
co-ordinate CARICOM’s participation in the several negotiating theatres in
which the region is involved, and to develop a cohesive trade negotiating
strategy to ensure that CARICOM countries derive the maximum benefits
possible from major international trade negotiations. In pursuit of its
mandate, the CRNM has developed and implemented a Communication and
Partnership Strategy (CPS), which links the CRNM with its stakeholders in
the private sector, labor unions and the NGO community and facilitates the
exchange of information on negotiation issues as well as technical inputs
into the negotiations. The RNM Update, a monthly trade publication, is one
of the main products of the CPS, which disseminates information on
developments within the various negotiating theatres in which CARICOM
Member States are involved.

One of the strategic objectives of the CRNM is to develop a framework and
overall structure that will increase the effectiveness of the process
through which negotiation strategies are formulated and negotiating
arrangements organized and coordinated. In this regard, the CRNM has
established Technical Working Groups in several of the negotiating
disciplines in which the region is involved. The TWGs, coordinated by the
CRNM in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat, are comprised of
specialists drawn from Member States, the regional and sub-regional
Secretariats, other specialized regional institutions, regional private
sector organizations, labor, and the University of the West Indies and
provide a forum for consultation and the formulation of negotiating
strategies and proposals for clearance by COTED and final endorsement by
the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on External Negotiations and
ultimately by the Heads of Government. The TWGs provide an indispensable
mechanism for technical consultation particularly in the context of the
FTAA negotiations, and provide the facility for dissemination and exchange
of information with the private sector and civil society in general on
developments within the negotiations.

Importantly, the quality of feedback from civil society is inexorably
linked to the accurate dissemination of information. This necessarily
implies the need for a reliable and informed media, which would be used as
the machinery through which civil society is informed and actively
encouraged to offer a critical analysis and to publicly air their views on
the current trade policy agenda. To this end, the CRNM in collaboration
with CIDA and the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), a regional
umbrella NGO, facilitated a workshop for Caribbean Media workers in
Montego Bay, Jamaica from June 30th to July 1st aimed at sensitizing
senior members of the Caribbean print and electronic media on current
trade policy issues in the context of the FTAA, the WTO and in the context
of the negotiations between the European Union and the African, Caribbean
and Pacific States (EU-ACP).

There have been several requests for more education and awareness programs
at both the national and regional levels to ensure meaningful engagement
and in-depth critical analysis by all stakeholders of the results of trade
negotiations and the likely impact on human and social development. The
RNM will convene a similar consultation with labor unions in November and
is moving towards developing a platform for communication and exchange of
information with the private sector and civil society in general.

CHILE

Trade policy and non-governmental actors
International trade policy has been at the heart of Chile’s economic
development. Given the relatively small size of the internal market, the
country’s economic growth potential is directly linked to the successful
application of the export development model, since foreign trade accounts
for more than 50 percent of GDP, and exceeds 70 percent if the services
sector is included. It is in this context that Chile has negotiated trade
agreements with its main trading partners. For the trade agreements to
make sense, have political legitimacy in the medium and long term, and
contribute to the general prosperity of the country, negotiators must take
proper steps to gather the proposals and concerns of civil society on
topics being negotiated and provide information on the negotiation
process.

In all of its trade negotiations, Chile has held ongoing consultations
with the business sector with a view to detecting and accurately
interpreting the sensitivities and interests of the different production
sectors, which are then incorporated into the offers and the negotiations,
especially with regard to tariffs and rules of origin. Beginning in the
mid-nineties, other sectors were also incorporated into the negotiation
process, when the General Directorate of International Economic Relations
(Dirección General de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales - DIRECON by
its Spanish acronym) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began a dialogue
with different civil society organizations (academics, professional
associations, labor unions, and NGOs) on the international economic
negotiations.

Initiatives for dialogue and participation
This dialogue began with the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Chile and
Canada (1995-1996), which coincided with the signing of both environmental
and labor cooperation agreements. The dialogue gained momentum with the
commencement of the FTAA negotiations and the work of the Committee of
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society, and
again on the eve of the Seattle Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade
Organization.

In 2000, with the government of President Lagos already in place and a new
emphasis on the need for dialogue with civil society at all levels of
government, pursuant to the Presidential Decree on the matter, there were
renewed calls for FTAA meetings to be held. A more extensive call was
issued, a greater number of announcements appeared in the newspapers, more
public activities were undertaken by the authorities, more information was
made available on the FTAA negotiation process, and increased joint
initiatives were organized with interested sectors of civil society.

Information and transparency in the electronic media
Special mention must be made of DIRECON’s web site,
www.direcon.cl. According to the 2003 First Quarter Report on
visits to this site, it was confirmed that not only is it an increasingly
used tool, but it also surpassed the previously-recorded number of
1,400,000 hits, reaching a total of 1,676,855 hits in April. In June, the
month in which the FTA with the United States was signed, the number of
hits reached the two million mark, which is a testimony to the interest
that these negotiations have stirred in a country of barely 15 million
inhabitants. With regard to the massive use of this communication tool, it
should be noted that the average monthly number of hits on Chilean
government web sites is 500,000, with the most-visited pages being those
on International Economic Agreements and Foreign Trade Agreements. There
is a definite institutional profile on which searches are conducted, as
indicated by the words most often used to access the web. The “Civil
Society” section stands out as the most visited, thereby reinforcing the
importance of information in the political management of foreign trade.

Training of non-governmental sectors
Training in the different sectors-businesses, trade unions, NGOs,
communication media-is a key task, since participation must be informed in
order to have impact and be effective. Training is especially relevant in
those sectors that do not have the technical tools to address matters
relating to international negotiations, such as trade union organizations
and representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises. Information and
training is necessary so that these sectors can act as informed
interlocutors of the negotiating teams. Another key area is that of
training for journalists and other communications media professionals,
since this work will, in turn, reach the general public.

Open invitations
In this context, in 1999, the Government of Chile issued the first open
invitation of the FTAA Civil Society Committee, in letters addressed to
different institutions and non-governmental organizations and through the
press and its web pages. It invited civil society organizations to submit
written presentations on FTAA topics. During 2001 and 2002, a total of
four open invitations were issued on the occasion of the FTAA
negotiations, and the negotiations with the European Union and the United
States. The FTAA open invitation has since become a permanent one.

The response to these open invitations has been very satisfactory and
contributions continue to be submitted by a wide variety of actors:
professional associations, business associations, specific industries,
trade union organizations, indigenous organizations and NGOs.

Several conditions must be satisfied for these invitations to have meaning
and result in real participation: a) the public must have information on
the topics on which it is invited to comment; b) a joint effort between
negotiators and different sectors of civil society will result in more and
better contributions; and c) contributions must be properly considered and
processed by the negotiators so that the public can see the usefulness of
this exercise and continue submitting their contributions.

Seminars
The usual, but no less effective, practice has been to conduct various
seminars, some of which are organized jointly with trade union
organizations or other civil society entities, in both Santiago and the
regions, which aim to deliver the greatest amount of information possible
on the negotiations and which receive contributions and comments. Proper
organization in conjunction with non-governmental actors is key to being
able to truly address the concerns and expectations of the public and to
ensuring the ultimate success of the event. Sufficient space must be given
in the program to include government and civil society representatives and
encourage real dialogue. These activities have been carried out with
business and trade union organizations, professional associations,
different interest groups, academic bodies and NGOs.

The “side room”
The “side room” refers to the presence of non-governmental sectors in the
vicinity of the negotiations venue so that they can be informed and
consulted during the negotiations.

In the case of the FTA with the United States, for the first time in a
negotiation of this kind, three “side rooms” (for businesspersons, trade
unions, and small and medium-sized businesses) were set up so that the
different sectors could be informed and consulted throughout the
successive negotiating rounds. After the negotiation itself, this process
continues with the dissemination of the contents of the agreements and the
opportunities they open for the different sectors.

Horizontal dialogue entities
It should also be mentioned that among the instruments adopted to achieve
greater transparency in matters relating to foreign trade and
international negotiations is a Ministerial Advisory Council comprising
representatives of different political and professional sectors, including
parliamentarians, who have submitted their different points of view on the
international trade negotiations, without prejudice to the execution of
the constitutional formalities required by law.

Principal tools for consultation and participation
In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of the following mechanisms for
fostering consultation and participation: the permanent invitation to all
members of the public to submit their points of view, concerns and
interests to the negotiators; keeping the different sectors of civil
society informed about the course, possible impacts and results of the
negotiations by posting information on methods of communication, seminars
and workshops on the organization’s web page; establishing “side rooms”
during negotiations for representatives of the main sectors that may be
impacted; and taking steps to institutionalize the mechanisms for
consultation and participation.

COLOMBIA

INTERACTION OF THE MINISTRY WITH CIVIL SOCIETY

The public sector, the private sector, and academia are cooperating with
the negotiating team in the following way:

The Public Sector - Presidential Directive 09 of 2002 sets out the general
guidelines for devising Colombia's negotiating position in the FTAA
negotiations and determines the role that state entities represented on
the negotiating team are to have in that process. The different state
entities participate in negotiation-related topics, with each one focusing
on its own area of expertise. The Directive sets forth that public
entities involved in the negotiations should give priority to such
negotiations and provide all institutional support necessary to allow
their officials to attend the respective national and international
meetings.

The Private Sector - The negotiating team is assisted by private sector
representatives appointed by manufacturers associations for the
negotiations. The private sector created an internal coordination agency
through the Inter-Association Foreign Trade Committee (Comité Intergremial
del Comercio Exterior, or CICEX), which attends all meetings convened by
the Ministry on each negotiating topic.

Academia and Research Centers - Academic and research centers that support
the trade negotiations in which Colombia is engaged are taking part so as
to broaden the scope of participation in negotiations of particular
interest to domestic producers and the community at large. Academic and
research centers are to contribute to the formulation of an overall
strategy and analyze and disseminate information on the development and
progress of the negotiations in the different areas, so as to encourage an
entrepreneurial mindset among young people and students generally. Each
university was assigned a specific topic and was contracted to carry out
specific tasks.

Interaction with the members of the three components of the negotiating
team takes place through meetings that are periodically convened by the
Ministry. In these meetings, the private sector finds an ongoing channel
for dialogue. Prior to each FTAA negotiating group meeting, the Ministry
convenes representatives of the private sector, public sector, and
academia to discuss and evaluate Colombia's position at the negotiating
table.

Likewise, meetings are convened after each meeting of the negotiating
groups to inform the public, private, and academic sectors of the results
and to exchange ideas on the evolution of the different negotiating
positions.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, as coordinator of the
international trade negotiations in which Colombia is taking part, has
made a priority, throughout the negotiations, of using all available tools
to provide ample information on the negotiating process through which the
FTAA is to be created.

The Ministry has, thus, participated in the most important private forums,
such as those periodically organized by the National Association of
Financial Institutions (ANIF), the National Manufacturers Association
(ANDI), the National Foreign Trade Association (ANALDEX), as well as in
different congresses and association and union forums, and at various
universities. At these events, the Ministry has informed the private
sector of the progress and the scope of negotiations. In addition to
supporting the research work carried by the universities within the
framework of the negotiating team, the Ministry has worked closely with
these institutions in other ways since it considers them an important
bridge for raising awareness on the FTAA.

DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES

The dissemination activities that have been carried out are intended to
sensitize and educate civil society so that it will become involved in
these important negotiations through interaction with the Ministry.

The dissemination activities organized by the Ministry include:

An important effort to ensure that our Webpage, and particularly the
section on the FTAA, is as informative as possible; to this end we have
included:

Figures showing the importance of the FTAA in the world and for Colombia;

All derestricted documents from the different negotiating groups, as well
as publications and databases prepared by the Tripartite Committee and
posted on the FTAA’s official Webpage;

Links to all the pages of entities of the countries in the hemisphere
responsible for FTAA-related issues;

Space for civil society to make suggestions on additional information that
it would like to see posted in this section.

In 2002, the Ministry, along with the Federation of Chambers of Commerce
(Confecámaras), gave seminars on the topic in seven of the largest cities
in the country: Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Cartagena, Barranquilla,
Bucaramanga, Pereira, and Manizales. In conjunction with the Higher
Institute of Public Administration (ESAP), the Ministry gave the same
seminar in seven other departmental capitals: Cúcuta, Paste, Leticia, San
Andrés, Santa Martín, Ibagué, and Armenia. Cities not covered in these
seminars in 2002 were included during the Exporters' Weeks organized by
the Ministry.2

For this year, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism has planned
Entrepreneurs’ Weeks and Exporters’ Weeks in 20 cities throughout the
country, where conferences and workshops on the FTAA are scheduled.

We have contacted public entities, the Federal Congress, the private
sector, and academic institutions, asking them to place links to the
Ministry's FTAA information page on their Internet pages. Likewise, the
Ministry of Foreign Trade3 ran a television commercial at the beginning of
last year, and the air time of “Civic Code of Signal Colombia” was used to
broadcast information on the FTAA.

On 23 May 2002 a Seminar titled “Effects of the FTAA on Colombia's
Economy” was held, thanks to the technical cooperation granted by ALADI in
response to the Ministry of Foreign Trade's efforts to train the
negotiating team.

On 10 and 11 December 2002, in Lima, Peru, a Seminar-Workshop was held for
civil society actors and representatives from Andean Community member
countries, to publicize the FTAA negotiations and provide information on
them. The IDB funded the participation of the speakers and of ten civil
society representatives from each Andean Community member country.
Colombia was represented by the Colombian Universities Association, the
Universidad Externado de Colombia, the Natura Foundation, the Pro-Sierra
Nevada de Santa Marta Foundation, the Colombian Consumer Federation, the
National Movement for the Human Rights of Afro-Colombian Communities
(Cimarrón), the Colombian Federation of Municipalities, and the Unitary
Workers Federation (CUT).

The Ministry has held information and opinion-sharing meetings with
unions. The Ministry also accepted an invitation from the General
Federation of Democratic Workers (CGTD) and the National Institute of
Social Studies (INES) to take part in a panel discussion of the
negotiations, along with a large number of trade unionists.

The Ministry's reports to the Colombian Congress over the last four years
have included a section on the negotiations describing in detail the
current status of the process and its evolution. Likewise, events have
been organized with some members of Congress to exchange information on
the process.

On 9 December 2002, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade conducted a
videoconference that was transmitted in the head offices of the National
Learning Service (SENA), a government entity, in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali,
and Barranquilla. Through the videoconference many public sector, private
sector, and academic participants were informed of the progress of the
FTAA negotiations, and the concerns expressed by participants from each
office were addressed. For 2003, another series of videoconferences will
be scheduled, with a view to including a larger segment of civil society
and disseminating information on the FTAA to a larger number of persons.

Each year since 1999, the Ministry has, in conjunction with the business
sector, held two Symposiums for Productivity and Competitiveness. The last
two symposiums have focused on and made a priority of preparing for the
negotiations and the entry into force of the FTAA. The topics covered in
these events were as follows:

Seventh Symposium for Productivity
and Competitiveness. Barranquilla, 3-4 October 2002

Challenges vis-à-vis the FTAA-WTO
international negotiations

1300

Likewise, the Eighth Symposium for Productivity and Competitiveness will
be held in Bucaramanga on 8 and 9 May of this year. The topic will be
“Trade Negotiations: For a More Competitive Country,” and FTAA-related
topics will also be addressed.

For the month of May 2003, the Ministry has planned an information and
discussion seminar on the process in order to inform participants on the
latest developments. The Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism will
participate in the seminar, as will the Minister of Social Protection.
Representatives from various civil society sectors will be invited. The
sectors represented include: the economy, indigenous groups, the
environment, education, social issues, communities, the Raizal indigenous
group, women, peasants, black communities, workers, the Church, land, and
the Federal Congress.

COSTA RICA

The government of Costa Rica has, through its Foreign Trade Ministry, set
up a formal participation and consultation mechanism, as well as a
mechanism for dialogue and information at the national level with the
various sectors of civil society for the purpose of discerning the
opinions of civil society and defining Costa Rica's position with respect
to the FTAA process. The basic principles governing this consultation
process are: (a) achieving the broadest participation of the various
sectors of civil society in the FTAA process through adequate outreach,
information, and consultation mechanisms; and (b) establishing a dialogue
with the Costa Rican production sector on market access conditions and
other related issues so that full advantage is taken of the commercial
opportunities created by the FTAA. This process operates basically on two
levels:

FIRST LEVEL

At this level, the mechanism operates through the Foreign Trade
Consultative Council, which was created by the Law on Negotiations and the
Administration of Free Trade Treaties, Agreements and Instruments of
Foreign Trade, of 21 November 2000. The Council is chaired by the Foreign
Trade Minister and consists of both public officials and representatives
of the private sector.

The Council is responsible for advising the Executive Branch of government
on the definition of foreign trade and foreign investment policies and for
promoting mechanisms for coordination and cooperation with the private
sector so that those policies and trade negotiations are executed. The
Council consists of: (a) the Foreign Trade Minister; (b) the Minister of
Economics, Industry and Trade; (c) the Minister of Agriculture; (d) the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religion; (e) the President of the Costa
Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Enterprise, the
Chamber of Industry, the Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Exporters,
the Chamber of Agriculture, the Costa Rican Chamber of Representatives of
Foreign Companies, Distributors, and Importers, and the Costa Rican
Chamber of the Food Industry; (f) a representative of the National Union
of Costa Rican Small- and Medium-Size Farmers (UPANACIONAL); (g) two
representatives of organizations of small- and medium-size producers and
enterprises; (h) a representative of the National Federation of Consumer
Associations (FENASCO); (i) two representatives of consumer organizations,
appointed by legitimized organizations; (j) the President of the
Development Initiatives Coalition (CINDE); and (k) the General Manager of
the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (PROCOMER).

SECOND LEVEL

This level consists of the process of direct consultation with companies,
professional associations, and other sectors of civil society, which in
turn is divided into various levels and modalities of consultation and
outreach:

Open invitation: The Foreign Trade Ministry extended an open invitation to
interested parties in the official daily 'La Gaceta' No.26 of 7 February
2000 to comment upon the FTAA process either in general or specifically on
the regulatory issues under discussion in the process. A mechanism was set
up for this purpose to receive and process the observations and
consultations received from groups representing society, and a form was
drawn up outlining the minimum information requirements for the comments
Costa Ricans may wish to make. The comments received were taken into
account in the determination of Costa Rica's position in each of the FTAA
negotiating groups. The Ministry made this position known on 27 July 2000
at a public event attended by over 400 people, the results of which were
later published in the document “Costa Rica en el proceso de ALCA: estado
actual y perceptivas” (Costa Rica in the FTAA process: current status and
perceptions), which was also published on the Ministry's web site at
<http://www.comex.go.cr/publicacion/otros/Alca-estado.pdf>. In August
2002, several documents were published in 'La Gaceta' and the country's
main newspapers. These included: “Mecanismo de consulta e información para
las negociaciones del Area de Libre Comercio de las Américas”
(Consultation and information mechanism for the negotiations of the Free
Trade Area of the Americas), which invited participation in the public
event being held to launch the consultation process; “Consulta con
respecto a las Negociaciones del Area de Libre Comercio de las Américas”
(Consultation regarding the Negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the
Americas), which was a formal invitation to participate in the
consultation process; and “Consultas Públicas paras las Negociaciones del
Area de Libre Comercio de las Américas” (Public Consultations for the
Negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the Americas), which set out the
requirements for receiving comments and the procedures for submitting
them.

Direct consultations with companies and professional associations: in
order to complement the above activities, a broad program was arranged for
direct consultations on the FTAA process with companies, chambers and
associations. In 2002, specific invitations were sent to over 900
companies and around 60 chambers of commerce and sectoral groups for
distribution among their members. These chambers represent 39 production
subsectors of the agricultural, agro-industrial, and industrial sectors of
the country.

Permanent Connection Point: The Ministry has created an information
network called 'Punto de Enlace Permanente' (Permanent Connection Point
-PEP by its Spanish acronym) through which anyone can obtain information
and inquire about the FTAA at any time. The network currently has around
1,500 users who, on average, receive two weekly bulletins on the progress
of the various negotiations underway, including the FTAA process. This
mechanism has not only served to provide up-to-date information, but also
to receive contributions, comments, and observations from all its users.

Periodic diffusion of specific information via Internet or electronic mail
on markets and the status of the negotiations: A special link on the FTAA
consultation process has been made publicly available at the web site
“www.comex.go.cr” with information on the FTAA, and specifically, on
background information on the process, the results of the ministerial
meetings, ministerial summits, notices regarding the receipt of
contributions, results of the consultation process, draft FTAA chapters,
and a large amount of information from each of the countries that make up
the FTAA, which allow those interested to develop informed opinions on the
negotiations process. In addition to this, a person has been appointed in
the Ministry to handle consultations on the FTAA negotiations. Public
events for launching the consultation process have also been held, and a
series of media events have been organized for publicity purposes,
including press releases, interviews, and exhibitions.

Dialogue with the Legislative Assembly: a permanent and open dialogue
between COMEX and the Legislative Assembly has been established for the
duration of the FTAA consultation and negotiation process so that
legislators can be kept informed of the progress being made in the
process.

Public events: In order to further knowledge of the FTAA negotiations
agenda, the Ministry of Foreign Trade has organized several Foreign Trade
Conference Cycles on FTAA issues which have been open to the public.

MEXICO

Regular meetings with representatives of non-governmental organizations-
These meetings bring together representatives of the highly diverse
interests of civil society and the government officials involved in the
FTAA negotiations. Any organization may participate in these meetings
either by attending them or by sending in written questions or comments on
the various negotiation topics. In addition to the written and electronic
notifications that are issued, these meetings also serve to inform
non-governmental organizations of the various events the FTAA is
organizing to encourage the participation of civil society.

Meetings with business organizations- Dialogues are held with the various
business organizations that specialize in foreign trade, such as the
Coordinating Entity for Foreign Trade Business Organizations (COECE), the
Mexican Foreign Trade Council (COMCE), and other Mexican business
organizations and companies, with a view to answering queries and
ascertaining the needs of the country's various production sectors with
regard to the FTAA negotiation process. These business organizations also
organize events on the economic and commercial implications of the FTAA,
in which the various government officials involved in the negotiations
also participate. Similarly, the Mexican Government has invited the
business sector to participate in the Business Forums of the Americas.

Meetings with the academic sector- The interest generated by the FTAA
negotiation process in the Mexican academic sector has been so great that
it has led to the organization of various national and international
events by, or with the support of, Mexican universities and institutes of
higher education, and these have also been attended by various government
officials involved in the negotiations.

Organization of the North American Regional Seminar- On 18 July 2002, the
governments of Mexico, the United States and Canada, jointly organized the
Seminar “The FTAA: Opportunities and Challenges for North America” in the
city of Merida, Mexico, with a view to discovering the general public's
opinion of the FTAA negotiations in areas such as: market access,
agriculture, investment, services, and transparency. Government
representatives and members of civil society from the three countries
participated. A summary of this seminar is included in the Third Report of
the Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil
Society, posted on the official FTAA web site (www.ftaa-alca.org).

Meeting with Hemispheric Civil Society- The Meeting with Hemispheric Civil
Society, “Progress in the FTAA Negotiations”, was held in Puebla, on 8
April 2003, in parallel with the Thirteenth Meeting of the FTAA Trade
Negotiations Committee. This event was attended by the co-chairs of the
FTAA negotiation process, chairs of negotiating groups and technical
committees, government representatives, and representatives of various
non-governmental organizations and the academic sector. The conclusions
and recommendations of the discussion groups were submitted by the
moderators to the Vice Ministers attending the TNC meeting.

The dissemination of information through the Internet- Civil society now
has access to a large volume of information on the FTAA through the web
page of the Secretariat of the Economy (www.economia.gob.mx): negotiation
texts, general principles, negotiation methods and modalities, summit
meetings, ministerial declarations, publications and databases,
presentations, meeting schedules, works published by the Committee of
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society, access
to the FTAA web site, etc.

PARAGUAY

PERMANENT FORUMS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY

In its desire to inform on and publicize the status of international
negotiations and their achievements, Paraguay seeks to empower existing
entities, such as the MERCOSUR Joint Parliamentary Commission (Comisión
Parlamentaria Conjunta del MERCOSUR); the MERCOSUR Socio-Economic
Consultative Forum (Foro Consultivo Económico y Social del MERCOSUR); the
National Council on Trade and Integration (Consejo Nacional de Comercio e
Integración - CONACIN by its Spanish acronym), and other future projects
that are to be implemented with a view to creating an expeditious way for
fulfilling the tasks at hand.

-

CONACIN’s predecessor was the “National Council on Foreign Trade”,
established in 1962, which, in turn, broadened the scope of the former
“Free Trade Zone National Council” of 1960. Although broader in scope than
both its predecessors, CONACIN also seeks to promote foreign trade and
integration, by directing Paraguay's foreign policy in keeping with
current demands.

To better fulfill its mission, the Council works as a standing,
high-ranking, group that discusses action lines at the national level,
while seeking to meet the joint expectations of the government and civil
society, to establish strategies that will help the nation both in matters
related to international negotiations and the definition of national trade
and integration guidelines.

-

At the “Socioeconomic Consultative Forum”, in its capacity as the agency
that channels private sector projects and proposals within MERCOSUR’s
institutional structure, progress was made in the discussions on
strengthening dialogue between socioeconomic sectors and society in
general. All issues of substantial interest to civil society are studied
within this forum.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE
REPUBLIC OF PARAGUAY AND THE MERCOSUR JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION -
NATIONAL SECTION.

One of the top priorities for Paraguay’s foreign policy is to establish a
permanent mechanism to consult with the Legislative and the Executive
Branches in order to promote joint strategies that will strengthen the
country’s position in foreign negotiations, taking into account the
significant role played by inter-institutional coordination for the
effective incorporation of the legal rules generated by the negotiation
process in the country’s national legislation. In this regard, it has been
deemed important that Parliament and the Government act jointly,
particularly in legal matters, through internal implementation of a
mechanism to coordinate permanent joint actions that examine legislative
bills drafted by MERCOSUR and the FTAA, with the understanding that most
of them will be incorporated into the national body of laws through
legislative means.

SEMINARS AND MEETINGS

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its Undersecretariat of Economic
Relations and Integration, has trained a group of its officers to create a
corps of technical monitors to be in charge of disseminating information
on the status of Paraguay’s participation in international negotiations.
The following is a summary of the main events in which both monitors and
various public and private entities have participated.

-

Panel-Debate “The FTAA and its socioeconomic impact in Paraguay”. Held
on 17 July 2003; with approximately 150 participants from the following
non-governmental organizations: Campaign for Citizens Expression;
Documentation and Study Center; Human Rights Coordinator of Paraguay; Bank
Workers Federation; Community Development Institute; Peasant Associations;
Workers Central Union; and the National Social Pastoral Organization.

-

International Seminar”: “FTAA and MERCOSUR: Complementary projects?”
Held on 17 July 2003; with approximately 100 participants; organized by
the Center for Examination and Dissemination of Information on the
Paraguayan Economy and the MERCOSUR network.

-

Seminars: “MERCOSUR and the FTAA: Challenges and perspectives for
Paraguay.” Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), held in both the capital and other
parts of the country. These gatherings were attended by civil society
representatives from different departments in Paraguay:

“Conclusiones de los seminarios sobre el Relanzamiento del MERCOSUR y
nuevos desafios para el Paraguay” (Conclusions of the seminars on
re-launching MERCOSUR and new challenges for Paraguay). Summary of
activities conducted in different Departments throughout the country:
Itapúa and Alto Paraná; by Dr. Fernando Masi, from the Center for the
Study and Dissemination of Information on the Paraguayan Economy (Centro
de Análisis y Difusión de la Economía Paraguaya - CADEP by its Spanish
acronym).

-

Publications containing the conclusions on the
seminars: MERCOSUR and FTAA: Challenges and perspectives for
Paraguay; held in Concepción (Dept. of Concepción) and Pedro Juan
Caballero (Dept. of Amambay); by Dr. Reinaldo Penner, International
Consultant.

Established in May 1998, this Committee, comprising the private sector and
academia, develops proposals representing the views held by non-official
sectors in Peru on the FTAA negotiation process, so that the negotiations
reflect the private sector’s position. To that end, the Committee’s work
dynamic entails ongoing interaction with Peruvian representatives to the
Negotiating Groups, and with high-level political authorities of the
different sectors involved.

The Committee includes over 300 entrepreneurs, academics, and experts on
the different negotiation areas. It is divided into ten working groups,
nine of which mirror existing official negotiating groups. In addition, a
group named “Business View of the Social Agenda” has been established to
reflect on how the FTAA will impact Peruvian society.

The Committee makes every effort to disseminate information on the FTAA
process through the Chambers of Commerce in the different provinces
throughout the nation. In the last year, dissemination events have been
conducted in eight cities (Piura, Iquitos, Cusco, Arequipa, Pucallpa,
Tarapoto, Cajamarca, and Sullana), through conferences, seminars, forums,
newspapers, articles printed in business reviews, interviews with
representatives from the business sector and academia, etc.). Information
has also been disseminated in Congress.

Internationally, the Committee actively participates in Hemispheric
Business Forums by submitting proposals and papers, and by coordinating
the participation of the private sector in those forums. To that end, this
past year, the Committee issued a wide call for papers to collectively
reflect concerns and proposals. Workshops have been conducted to discuss
new topics or develop those presented last year. To date, the Commission
has organized two national forums (February 2001 and September 2002),
which included workshops aimed at reaching conclusions on the FTAA
negotiations that were then forwarded to the official sector. These
national forums are conducted on a yearly basis; the Third Forum will be
held this October. The following is a brief account of the forums to date:

I FTAA/Peru National Forum (February 2001)

A simulated international business forum was held to prepare papers.
Workshops were conducted for all nine working groups, with 50 to 100
attendees at each workshop. A plenary meeting was held on the second day,
attended by the Prime Minister and 300 representatives from civil society.

II FTAA/Peru National Forum (September 2002)

The main objective of this forum was to coordinate the positions of the
business sector, academia, and civil society in general, in order to
consolidate the proposals to be presented at the VII Business Forum of the
Americas and to convey that position, directly and transparently, to
Peru’s official negotiators. Again, workshops were conducted for each
working group on the first day and a plenary meeting was held on the
second day, with a total of 600 attendees each day. The event was
broadcast by videoconference to 10 provincial Chambers.

Finally, it must be mentioned that coordination processes with this
Committee always progress very smoothly. Currently, the Committee’s
different working groups are laboring intensively on preparing proposals
to improve the draft Chapters and the market access offers to other
countries.

“TOWARD A NATIONAL POLITICAL DIALOGUE ON TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT”
WORKING TABLE

This Working Table, established in June 2000 at the initiative of the
Peruvian Environmental Law Association, meets once every three weeks. The
table has 20 members, including officials involved in international trade
negotiations and national environmental policies; labor union and trade
association members; NGOs; and representatives from different public and
private institutions.

The I Forum on Trade and the Environment was held in 2001, with the
objective of disseminating information on some national experiences and
raising a general awareness of the issues prioritized by the Working
Table.

It is worth noting that working table members participate on their own
behalf, even though they have been invited to participate based on their
personal background and their association with trade- and
environment-related institutions.

Working table members belong to the following institutions: Ministry of
Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism; Ministry of
Agriculture; National Environmental Council; National Environmental
Fund/Fondo Nacional del Ambiente - FONAM by its Spanish acronym;
Commission for the Promotion of Peru/Comisión de Promoción del Perú -
PROMPERU by its Spanish acronym; General Secretariat of the Andean
Community; American Chamber of Commerce of Peru; Lima Chamber of Commerce;
National Industry Association; Peru Foreign Trade Association/Sociedad de
Comercio Exterior del Perú - COMEX PERU by its Spanish acronym; University
of Lima; University of the Pacific; Peruvian Environmental Law
Association; as well as specialized law firms, businesses, and
consultants.

The Working Table’s overall objective is to jointly study trade and
environmental issues, thus providing a forum for expression and
participation. The table further seeks to raise awareness, agree on
positions and disseminate them, in order to achieve sensitization to the
need for a conceptual position to be developed on the issue that may be
useful to the Peruvian government in regional and multilateral trade
negotiations currently underway, including a progressive implementation of
environmental systems that will guarantee international market access in
the future.

This local discussion forum on trade and the environment, created by the
Working Table, is expected to be linked more proactively to current
debates being held within the framework of FTAA and WTO negotiations. This
national forum is also linked to a national strategy, spearheaded by Grupo
Zapallar, aimed at generating dialogues on trade and the environment.

Another important activity conducted by the Working Table is the
“Perspectives on FTAA Negotiations” workshop series, in which the Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Draft Agreement was examined in order to
make specific contributions on environmental issues, based on the official
text of the different chapters of the agreement. The specialized
discussion workshops addressed the following four issues: i) intellectual
property; ii) investment; iii) agriculture; and iv) special and
differential treatment. The workshops were held in July, August,
September, and October 2002. Summaries of their results were published and
forwarded to the official sector. The Peruvian Environmental Law
Association (Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental - SPDA by its Spanish
acronym) is responsible for coordinating this working table.

TRADE AND LABOR RIGHTS TABLE

Since the year 2000, MINCETUR actively participated in the “Integration,
Civil Society, and Social Clauses” Working Table, organized by the
Peruvian Center for Labor Consulting (Centro de Asesoría Laboral del Perú
- CEDAL by its Spanish Acronym),4 within the framework of the “Information
and Training on Integration, International Trade, and ICICS Social Clauses
for Grassroots Labor and Social Organizations.”

The main objective of this project was to assist in updating labor union
and social organization leaders regarding the status of, and perspectives
on, integration processes and free trade agreements in which Peru
participates.

This Working Table, whose meetings ended on the last week of January 2001,
sought to become a forum for expressing views on, and participating in,
the matter, and for preparing proposals to promote participation and
consultation forums and mechanisms for social actors and economic agents.

The ultimate objective was to hold a similar event at the national level,
not only to keep this sector of civil society abreast of trade
negotiations currently underway, but to exchange ideas with, and listen
to, the opinions of said sector, maintaining a fluid and constructive
dialogue to strengthen the relationship between the private and official
sectors.

In this spirit, the “Trade and Labor Rights” Working Table was established
in August 2001 at the joint initiative of the Peruvian Center for Labor
Consulting - CEDAL (Technical Secretariat) and MINCETUR (formerly Ministry
of Industry, Tourism, Integration and International Trade
Negotiations/Ministerio de Industria, Turismo, Integración y Negociaciones
Comerciales Internacionales - MITINCI by its Spanish acronym).

The Table’s objectives are to study and propose guidelines regarding the
relationship between international trade and labor rights, raise
awareness, and coordinate and disseminate positions to achieve general
sensitization on the issue, among others.

Since the beginning of 2003, ongoing efforts have been made to consolidate
the FTAA-related work performed by these Tables, within the framework of
the meetings held by “Grupo Visión Empresarial” (Business Vision Group) on
the Social Agenda of the FTAA/PERU Committee.

A comprehensive dissemination program is currently being conducted in
seven different initial locations throughout the country. This
decentralized program seeks to involve the different sectors of civil
society throughout the entire nation, by keeping them informed and linking
them in the best way possible to the work performed by the Official
Sector.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

U.S. Trade Policy Consultation Process

The United States Trade Representative's (USTR) Office of
Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison (IAPL) was created to expand
and enhance USTR’s consultation process with state and local governments,
the business and agricultural communities, labor, environmental, consumer,
academic, and other domestic groups. The private sector advisory committee
system, established by the U.S. Congress in 1974, falls under its
auspices. The advisory committee system was created to ensure that U.S.
trade policy and trade negotiation objectives adequately reflect U.S.
interests. The USTR Office of IAPL also serves as the liaison to all state
and local governments on the negotiation and implementation of trade
agreements, including FTAA matters. Additionally, USTR issues frequent
Federal Register Notices seeking public comment on ongoing trade
negotiations, periodically convenes public hearings on trade issues, holds
public briefings, regularly disseminates press releases and other trade
information to domestic stakeholders, and meets with a broad spectrum of
domestic groups at their request. All these mechanisms provide opportunity
for domestic input, and the views expressed by civil society stakeholders
are taken into consideration in the formulation of U.S. trade policy.

Advisory Committees

The advisory committees were established by the U.S. Congress and provide
information and advice with respect to U.S. negotiating objectives and
bargaining positions before entering into trade agreements, on the
operation of any trade agreement once entered into, and on other matters
arising in connection with the development, implementation, and
administration of U.S. trade policy. The private sector advisory committee
system currently consists of 33 advisory committees, with a total
membership of approximately 700 advisors. Recommendations for candidates
for committee membership are collected from a number of sources including
members of Congress, associations and organizations, publications, and
other individuals who have demonstrated an interest or expertise in U.S.
trade policy. Membership selection is based on qualifications, geography,
and the needs of the specific committee. Advisors are not compensated and
serve at their own expense. Members of the committees obtain security
clearances and have access to U.S. draft proposals and papers in order to
be able to provide civil society input and advice from the perspective of
their particular sectors.

By statute, the system is arranged in three tiers: the President's
Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN); policy
advisory committees; and numerous technical, sectoral, and functional
advisory committees. The President appoints up to 45 ACTPN members for
two-year terms. The 1974 Trade Act requires that membership broadly
represent key economic sectors and groups affected by trade. The committee
considers trade policy issues in the context of the overall national
interest. ACTPN’s diverse membership includes, for example, the National
Association of Manufacturers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
the Nature Conservancy, the Global Environment and Technology Foundation,
the Small Business Exporters Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association, the Governor of the State of Connecticut, the Brookings
Institute, and the University of Oklahoma.

The four policy advisory committees are appointed by the USTR alone or in
conjunction with other cabinet officers. The Intergovernmental Policy
Advisory Committee (IGPAC), which provides trade advice from the
perspective of state and local governments, is managed solely by USTR.
Policy advisory committees managed jointly by USTR with the Departments of
Agriculture, Labor, and the Environmental Protection Agency, are,
respectively, the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC), Labor
Advisory Committee (LAC), and Trade and Environment Policy Advisory
Committee (TEPAC). Each committee provides advice based on the perspective
of its specific sector or area. For example, the LAC has 58
representatives of union interests, including the AFL-CIO, Union of Needle
trades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE), United Steelworkers of
America, International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, Service
Employees International Union, and others. The TEPAC has 29 members,
including groups such as the Center for International Environmental Law,
the Humane Society of the United States, the Endangered Species Coalition,
Oceana, Transparency International, the Consumers Union, and George
Washington University. TEPAC has been particularly involved in the U.S.
FTAA environment proposal and environmental reviews policy. All cleared
advisory committee members have access to U.S. FTAA negotiating proposals
in market access and other areas, and are afforded ongoing opportunity for
comment and input.

The 26 sectoral, functional, and technical advisory committees are
organized in two areas: industry and agriculture. Representatives are
appointed jointly by USTR and the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture,
respectively. Each sectoral or technical committee represents a specific
sector (for example, aerospace, electronics, chemicals, services
industries, textiles) or commodity group (for example, “grains, feed and
oilseeds,” “fruits and vegetables,” and “animals and animal products”) and
provides specific technical advice concerning the effect that trade policy
decisions may have on its sector. The four functional advisory committees
provide cross-sectoral advice on customs, standards, intellectual property
issues, and electronic commerce.

The committees meet on a regular basis, receive confidential information
about ongoing trade negotiations and other trade policy issues and
development, and are required to report to the President and Congress on
any trade agreement entered into under the Trade Act of 2002. Advisory
committee reports on finalized trade agreements are also made available to
the public. Committee membership lists are available to the public on the
USTR website at www.ustr.gov.

Public Consultations and Outreach on FTAA

In 2002 and 2003, the U.S. Government has participated in over 120
meetings, briefings and consultations regarding the FTAA negotiations with
the trade advisory committees; Congressional committees of jurisdiction
including the Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee,
the House and Senate agriculture committees and others; business,
agricultural, labor, environment, consumer, and academic groups, states
and localities, and members of the public.

For example, U.S. officials continually briefed and facilitated
consultations with advisory committees, Congress, and other domestic
stakeholders on the FTAA agenda leading up to the 2002 FTAA Ministerial in
Quito, Ecuador. Prior to Quito, USTR and domestic groups participated in
the first-ever North American civil society forum on FTAA held in Merida,
Mexico in July 2002. USTR also organized public briefings in advance of
the Quito Ministerial, and conducted several taped webcasts with daily
updates from the negotiating site in Quito for advisors and members of the
public. In addition, officials met with representatives of business and
civil society groups in Quito, and participated in a workshop organized by
Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental (CEDA) and environmental groups
from throughout the Hemisphere. USTR facilitated the public dissemination
of the second draft text of the FTAA agreement on its website on the same
day that the Ministerial concluded, continuing a precedent set by
Ministers at the FTAA meeting in Buenos Aires in 2001. At Quito, USTR also
took note of recommendations made by the Americas Business Forum, and met
with and received recommendations from organizers of Civil Society Fora.

In 2003, USTR notified domestic civil society of two Federal Register
Notices: one soliciting public comments on the second draft consolidated
texts of the FTAA agreement, and another encouraging the public to respond
to the FTAA Open and Ongoing Invitation issued by the SOC committee, for
inclusion of civil society views in the SOC Report to Ministers. USTR
consulted broadly with advisory groups, Congress, and other domestic
stakeholders regarding FTAA U.S. market access offers, a summary and fact
sheet of which was published on the USTR website in February 2003. USTR
took steps to ensure U.S. civil society participation in the FTAA-wide
civil society issue meetings organized by the SOC in rotating host
countries: the first in Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 25 on the topic of
agriculture (U.S. participants included the American Farm Bureau
Federation and Oxfam America, for example), and the second in Santiago,
Chile on September 23 on the topic of services, and publicized these FTAA
civil society meetings prominently on its website. In July, USTR held a
public briefing on the FTAA with senior government officials, with an open
question and answer session. Over 60 organizations attended, including
diverse groups such as the Defenders of Wildlife, U.S. Chamber of
Commerce, Public Citizen, International Gender and Trade Network, the
Center of Concern, and the Information Technology Association.

Finally, the U.S. is coordinating with domestic civil society groups and
state, county, and city officials in Florida regarding the November 2003
FTAA Ministerial in Miami. For U.S. and hemispheric civil society
stakeholders, the Miami Ministerial will feature parallel meetings of the
ninth Americas Business Forum (ABF), organized by hemispheric business
groups, and the Americas Trade and Sustainable Development Forum (ATSDF),
organized by the North-South Center at the University of Miami in
conjunction with hemispheric NGO groups, academics and think tanks
(including CEDA, Ecuador; PARTICIPA, Chile; FLACSO, Argentina; Canadian
Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), Canada; International Institute for
Sustainable Development, Canada; Carnegie Foundation for International
Peace, USA; Tulane University, USA; Transparency International, USA)
Registration for the ABF and ATSDF is open to the public, and all FTAA
government officials are encouraged to attend the parallel workshops to
promote further dialogue. Representatives of the ABF and ATSDF will meet
with Ministers in concluding sessions for an exchange of views that, in an
unprecedented effort to increase transparency and public access, will be
broadcast to the public on the web and on closed-circuit television.

1 Further information can be obtained on the web at
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/tna-nac/consult-en.asp. In addition to
Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, a number
of other Federal Departments and Agencies have also established permanent
and ad-hoc consultation and outreach mechanisms in the area of trade
policy, which are not mentioned in this information document due to its
limited scope. Canada reserves the right to make revisions to this
document and submit a more comprehensive version before its inclusion in
the final draft of the SOC’s Fourth Report to the TNC.

2 Exporters’ Weeks are a foreign trade training program carried out in the
different cities of the country.

3 The Ministry of Foreign Trade was recently restructured, and on 3
February 2003 it was renamed “Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism.”

4 The Peruvian Center for Labor Consulting (Centro de Asesoría Laboral del
Perú – CEDAL by its Spanish acronym), was established on 11 April 1977 as
a non-profit, private non-governmental organization whose main objective
is to offer multidisciplinary services and commit to strengthen grassroots
social organizations from the fields of labor and civil society.